Song of Solomon 6
1 Whither is thy friend gone, O fairest of women? whither hath thy friend turned himself? that we may seek him with thee?—
Where has your beloved gone, you fairest among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?
2 My beloved is gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
3 I am my friend's, and my friend is mine: he that feedeth among the lilies.—
I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine. He browses among the lilies,
4 Thou art beautiful, O my beloved, like Thirzah, comely like Jerusalem, terrible as armies encamped round their banners.
You are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners.
5 Turn away thy eyes from me, for they have excited me: thy hair is like a flock of goats that come quietly down from mount Gil'ad.
Turn away your eyes from me, for they have overcome me. Your hair is like a flock of goats, that lie along the side of Gilead.
6 Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes which are come up from the washing, all of which bear twins, and there is not one among them that is deprived of her young.
Your teeth are like a flock of ewes, which have come up from the washing; of which every one has twins; none is bereaved among them.
7 Like the half of the pomegranate is the upper part of thy cheek behind thy vail.
Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil.
8 Sixty are the queens, and eighty the concubines, and the young women without number;
There are sixty queens, eighty secondary wives, and virgins without number.
9 But one alone is my dove, my guiltless one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the chosen of her that bore her: maidens see her, and call her happy; yea, queens and concubines, and praise her.
My dove, my perfect one, is unique. She is her mother's only daughter. She is the favorite one of her who bore her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; the queens and the secondary wives, and they praised her.
10 Who is this that shineth forth like the morning-dawn, beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as armies encamped round their banners?
Who is she who looks forth as the morning, beautiful as the moon, clear as the sun, and awesome as an army with banners?
11 Into the nut-garden was I gone down, to look about among the plants of the valley, to see whether the vine had blossomed, whether the pomegranates had budded.
I went down into the nut tree grove, to see the green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine budded, and the pomegranates were in flower.
12 I knew not [how it was], my soul made me [like] the chariots of my noble people.
Without realizing it, my desire set me with my royal people's chariots.
13 Return, return, O Shulammith; return, return, that we may look upon thee. “What will ye see in the Shulammith?” As though it were the dance of a double company.
Return, return, Shulammite. Return, return, that we may gaze at you. Why do you desire to gaze at the Shulammite, as at the dance of Mahanaim?
